A legitimate art distinctive of Australia and Australia alone' : the Griffins contribution to the formation of an Australian lanscape design ethos

Abstract

In his native United States of America, Walter Burley Griffin is remembered, if at all, as an obscure protégé of that nation's most celebrated architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. In Australia, however, Burley Griffin has received far greater professional and popular attention, stemming from his renown as the designer of its federal capital city, Canberra. Common to both nations is the perception of Griffin as primarily an architect and, to a lesser extent, a town planner (a title he never used). This perception is far too restrictive and varies significantly from fact: Griffin, in complement with and parallel to architecture, was educated in and practised landscape architecture. This paper examines his ideas and work within this lesser-known discipline, emphasising the transference and transformation of his ideas into Australia. Moreover, it provides an overview of the emergence of Griffin's ideas on an Australian ethos and national identity as expressed in landscape design and the central role played by the use of Australian flora. Attention is also given to the contributions of his architect wife, Marion Mahony, and the extension of Griffin's ideas to New Zealand, via the work of his partner Roy A Lippincott.